People v. Khoury
People v. Khoury
Opinion of the Court
Defendant appeals as of right his June 2, 1986, bench trial conviction of statutory manslaughter, i.e., death from a firearm pointed intentionally but without malice, MCL 750.329; MSA 28.561, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, MCL 750.227b; MSA 28.424(2). The trial court denied defendant’s motion for a new trial or dismissal of the charges on January 21, 1987. We affirm.
On June 27, 1985, at about 7:30 p.m., defendant, an on-duty uniformed Romulus police officer, was
When defendant arrived, Hester and Marvin Boyd were fighting, facing each other. Defendant took out a gun and approached Hester from behind and to the left. Hester showed no awareness of defendant’s presence. Two witnesses testified that defendant cocked the gun, then touched Hester’s temple with the gun. When Hester moved his head and upper body away from defendant, the gun discharged. Most witnesses agree that Hester was holding a knife when he was shot, although testimony varied regarding the position in which Hester was holding it. Defendant, on the other hand, testified that he never cocked the gun or touched Hester’s head with it. Contrary to the testimony of several witnesses, defendant claimed that he yelled "Break it up” at Hester and Boyd several times while approaching them. When Hester pulled a knife, defendant got out his gun. Ignoring defendant’s repeated request to put the knife down, Hester swung the knife up. Defendant thought Hester was going to stab Boyd, but Hester swung at defendant and as defendant pulled his arm back, Hester hit defendant’s left arm with his wrist. Defendant’s gun accidentally fired in his other hand.
Originally charged with second-degree murder, MCL 750.317; MSA 28.549, and felony-firearm, MCL 750.227b; MSA 28.424(2), defendant was bound over to circuit court on the lesser offenses of manslaughter, death by firearm pointed intentionally, MCL 750.329; MSA 28.561, and common-law
On appeal, defendant first claims that the prosecution presented insufficient evidence to support the involuntary manslaughter conviction, citing People v Morrin, 31 Mich App 301, 310; 187 NW2d 434 (1971). Defendant contends that there was insufficient evidence that Hester’s death resulted without lawful justification (self-defense or defense of Boyd) or excuse (accident), the third element of the crime charged. See People v Duggan, 115 Mich App 269, 271; 320 NW2d 241 (1982), lv den 417 Mich 857 (1983). As noted by the Duggan Court, to support a conviction under MCL 750.329; MSA 28.561 it is necessary only that the prosecution show that defendant intentionally pointed a firearm at decedent and that decedent died as a result of the subsequent discharge of the firearm.
Here, defendant admitted that he aimed the gun at Hester’s head, and has never claimed that the pointing of the gun at Hester was other than intentional. Viewed in a light most favorable to the prosecution, the prosecution introduced evidence sufficient to justify a rational trier of fact in finding that Hester’s death resulted without lawful excuse.
Defendant also takes issue with the following findings of fact:
Was he a threat to Mr. Boyd at that point? Well, I guess in one sense he was. He had a weapon displayed. But to invoke the defense of self, the threat must have been an immediate one so that to a person observing, even if that were not the fact, that the use of deadly force would have appeared to have been immediately necessary in order to prevent force of like character, deadly force to be used against another. [Emphasis added.]
Defendant contends that these findings show that the trial court applied the wrong legal standard in
We next consider defendant’s claims that the felony-firearm statute, MCL 750.227b; MSA 28.424(2), was not intended to apply to on-duty police officers, and is void for vagueness under both the federal and Michigan constitutions.
A vagueness challenge must be examined in light of the facts at hand. People v Cavaiani, 172 Mich App 706, 714; 432 NW2d 409 (1988). Here, defendant was in possession of a firearm at the time he committed the felony of manslaughter. Had he refrained from pointing his gun at Hester’s head, defendant could have avoided violating the manslaughter statute. Once having done that act, however, and the trial judge having found that Hester’s resulting death was neither justified nor excusable, the judge was required to consider whether defendant possessed a firearm during the commission of a felony. This requirement does not confer unlimited discretion. Under the facts of this case, the felony-firearm statute provides fair notice
Defendant also contends that public policy requires reversal of defendant’s convictions, and cites in support civil cases involving the definition and applicability of governmental immunity to the use of deadly force by police officers. We disagree. We know of no public policy consideration that would justify granting police officers immunity from criminal prosecution for their criminal acts. The fact that the Legislature has determined that there are such policy considerations to support the grant of immunity from civil liability to police officers for their actions under some circumstances is not persuasive. At such time as the Legislature deems it advisable, the Legislature will doubtless enact similar measures with regard to the criminal prosecution of police officers for actions arising in the course of their duties.
We next consider defendant’s contentions that the trial court impermissibly considered providing retribution to the victim’s family in sentencing defendant.
The Coles factors are not exhaustive. Id.; People v Johnson, 173 Mich App 706, 709; 434 NW2d 218 (1988). Another panel of this Court discussed this same factor in People v Smith, 152 Mich App 756, 765; 394 NW2d 94 (1986), lv den 426 Mich 877 (1986). The Smith Court held that the four enumerated Coles factors plus the factor in dispute here supported a departure from the guidelines’ minimum sentence range.
Further the sentence imposed does not shock our conscience. Coles, supra; People v Badour, 167 Mich App 186, 198; 421 NW2d 624 (1988).
Finally, we decline to address defendant’s claim that the trial court abused its discretion by refusing to take additional testimony, and that defendant was entitled to a new trial, in light of Boyd’s allegations in a civil suit filed against defendant and others after defendant was convicted. These claims are made in a footnote contained in defendant’s original brief on appeal, and are accompanied by no citation to authority. Therefore, defendant has failed to preserve the issue. People v Daniels, 172 Mich App 374, 378; 431 NW2d 846 (1988) .
Affirmed.
People v Hampton, 407 Mich 354, 368; 285 NW2d 284 (1979), cert den 449 US 885; 101 S Ct 239; 66 L Ed 2d 110 (1980); People v Petrella, 424 Mich 221, 268-270; 380 NW2d 11 (1985); People v Daniels, 172 Mich App 374, 378; 431 NW2d 846 (1988). We will apply the same standard to defendant’s claim that the prosecution failed to introduce evidence sufficient to prove that defendant did not act in self-defense. People v Jackson, 390 Mich 621, 626; 212 NW2d 918 (1973); People v Bell, 155 Mich App 408, 414; 399 NW2d 542 (1986).
In People v Lenkevich, 394 Mich 117, 124; 229 NW2d 298 (1975), our Supreme Court held that the defendant had the right of self-defense where circumstances caused her "reasonably to believe that there was a present and impending necessity” to act in order to prevent the infliction of great bodily harm.
US Const, Am XIV; Const 1963, art 1, § 17.
Defendant was sentenced to IV2 to 15 years of imprisonment for the manslaughter conviction and two years for the felony-firearm conviction, to be served consecutively. The sentence for manslaughter fell within the guidelines range of zero to thirty-six months.
The Smith case was before this Court on appeal from the judgment of sentence of the same trial judge who sentenced defendant in the instant case.
Dissenting Opinion
(dissenting). I respectfully dissent.
In order to convict defendant of statutory manslaughter, the prosecutor was required to prove the following elements:
(1) a death; (2) that the death was caused by an action of the defendant; (3) that the defendant caused the death without lawful justification or excuse; (4) that the death resulted from the discharge of a firearm; (5) that at the time of such discharge the defendant was pointing or aiming the firearm at the decedent; and (6) that at the time of such discharge, the defendant intended to point or aim the firearm at the decedent. [People v Duggan, 115 Mich App 269, 271; 320 NW2d 241 (1982), lv den 417 Mich 857 (1983).]
When viewed in a light most favorable to the prosecution, the evidence was insufficient to show that defendant did not act in self-defense. See People v Jackson, 390 Mich 621, 626; 212 NW2d 918 (1973); People v Bell, 155 Mich App 408, 414; 399 NW2d 542 (1986). Thus, a rational trier of fact could not have found that Hester’s death resulted without justification or lawful excuse. See People v Petrella, 424 Mich 221, 268-270; 380 NW2d 11 (1985).
A defendant has the right of self-defense where circumstances cause him to reasonably believe that there was a present and impending necessity to act in order to prevent the infliction of great bodily harm. People v Lenkevich, 394 Mich 117, 124; 229 NW2d 298 (1975). Our Supreme Court has said that a police officer, like a private citizen, who claims self-defense must have reasonably and honestly believed himself to be in great danger and that his response was necessary to save himself. People v Doss, 406 Mich 90, 102-103; 276 NW2d 9
Further, given the circumstances surrounding this homicide, I cannot say that the prosecution proved that defendant was criminally negligent. The evidence showed only that defendant’s approach to these combatants demonstrated poor judgment. As noted by defendant, criminal negligence is more than ordinary negligence or a mere error in judgment. People v Morrin, 31 Mich App 301, 310; 187 NW2d 434 (1971); 1 Wharton’s Criminal Law & Procedure, §§ 290, 291, pp 610, 612.
I would find that the prosecution did not carry its burden of proof with regard to the third element of statutory manslaughter and would reverse this conviction. Because no underlying felony took place, the felony-firearm conviction cannot stand and it, too, should be reversed. People v Burgess, 419 Mich 305, 311-312; 353 NW2d 444 (1984). Reversal on this issue would not require review of the other issues raised.
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